Welcome to day two, I should forewarn you that this was a mammoth day in terms of what we managed to get done. Looking back on things, we covered a heck of a lot of ground on foot. This was also the only day it didn't rain so I suppose it's a good job really!
First on the list was to have a good old nose around the Colosseum, as we had bought our tickets the day before, we were able to head straight in without joining any queue which was great. We were hounded a fair old bit outside as to whether we wanted a tour guide, but Ad and I are always quite content to potter around things on our own and read the placards dotted around.
The inside of Colosseum is pretty spectacular, it's so hard to imagine how this sort of thing was built without modern day technology, not to mention a crane or two dotting the skyline!
From inside you get a pretty good view of the Arco di Costantino which was built back in the year 312. It's crazy to think how old some of these monuments are!
After we finished at the Colosseum, we headed towards the Il Vittoriano, a monument to Italy's first King. Whilst we didn't go in, this thing was completely obscene, it was enormous, made of marble and viewable from several spots around Rome.
Next, we took a stroll around to the Piazza Navona which you'll no doubt recognize from the Angels & Demons movie. I just wanted a peak at the Fountain of Four Rivers more than anything, it's odd to see the traditional Roman sculpture juxtaposed against the ancient Egyptian style obelisk with all of its hieroglyphs.
After this, it was time for a bite to eat in a traditional style trattoria before heading over to the Pantheon which is another of Rome's iconic landmarks.
Inside was seriously impressive, I had no idea how they managed to construct the ceiling so perfectly all that time ago. If you fancy some gelato, there's a fab place nearby called Della Palma which was great value for money, 3.50 Euro for three scoops.
Hell yeah!
With a full tummy it was time to trundle on over towards the Spanish Steps (the view from the bottom was rather spoilt by an ill placed H&M Advert, hence why I'm not sharing) before heading over towards the Trevi Fountain.
This was the biggest disappointment of our whole trip, for those of you looking to head to Rome, you should be aware that the Trevi Fountain is currently undergoing a 20-month restoration project so there really is nothing to see here. I'd had hoped to pop in a coin and make a wish, alas, there's no water.
As such, we made our way to the final stop of the day, the Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa which was quite an impressive sight in the late afternoon sun to say the least. If you're planning on stopping here, be careful of the people holding up the door and asking for pennies for the Church (Chiesa), there is actually a collection box inside.
Wow, that really was a busy day eh? Only another couple of days in Rome before it was time to head home.
What a bummer about the fountain! We were bummed last year when we lived in Savannah because there was this gorgeous cathedral we had toured for years before. When friends and family came to visit us, we wanted to take them there. But for nearly the entire time we lived there, the front was blocked with scaffolding. At least the inside was still beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous architecture in Rome. I recognize a few spots from movies and tourist guides, but you also shared some places I'd never heard of. That cozy little trattoria looks so lovely! We just had gelato last night. I bought this sea salt caramel gelato to go with Kyle's pumpkin pecan pie birthday cake. We've been slowly snacking away on both for almost a week.
Like you and Ad, we also prefer to investigate on our own. We'll take a guided tour, but if there's an option to go it on our own, we'll definitely pick that every time!
I'm loving these Rome recap posts! Looks like such a lovely time. It's giving me the wanderlust itch already!
<3 Liz
www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
Aye, I think the fountain was one of the things which I was looking forward to the most so I really took it hard that there was just nothing to see. I don't know why I got so hung up about it though, it was hardly the end of the world!
DeleteI think we made a real effort to see all the big tourist spots like I'm sure most people do, our guide had lots of other little bits and pieces in as well so we could wander around and see what else was in the area. I can certainly say that wherever you are, you're never too far away from a church, there are so many in Rome it's unreal. Even on the main shopping street there are at least 4 or 5!
I am such a sucker for sweet treats, the gelato was incredible all three times we had it (I know, I know). I'd definitely recommend the Della Palma as it had one of the best selections available I'd seen while we there and, it was an absolute bargain at about 3-4 euros for the pot I've got in the picture which is only a couple of pounds.
I saw your picture of the pumpkin pecan cake today, it looked delicious, I'm such a sucker for pumpkin pie but it's very difficult to get hold of over here not least of all because the shops don't stock pumpkin beyond October - Sad Times.
Anyway, I digress, like you say, it's more fun to explore/get lost trying to explore on your own, you discover so much more off the beaten track than on it!
Laura xx